The Ring of Truth: The Wisdom of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung Hardcover – November 21, 2017

Roger Scruton has long been known as the philosopher who focused his penetrating and immediately accessible insights on all manner of the arts. While Wagner's Ring Cycle is widely reputed as "difficult" and murky, Scruton reveals it in such a way, act by act, to make it seem entirely understandable and I must say, far more appealing to me. So far, I have found the Ring a hard work to enjoy thoroughly as I do Parsifal or Tristan.There is also much to offer here for well-seasoned Wagnerites who need no convincing of the importance of this masterpiece. What Scruton does is reveal the great spiritual accomplishment that is the Ring, even despite Wagner's efforts to move society beyond religion. First reviews that I read made knee-jerk assertions that Scruton white-washes Wagner's anti-semitism. I didn't find that at all the case after reading this. It fully embraces Wagner as an ill-behaved and sometimes callous man who was one the greatest and deepest geniuses of the last 200 years for the reasons clearly illuminated throughout. Scruton wisely doesn't believe anti-semitism can entirely define someone. While the modernist wishes they could dismiss anyone who receives PC demerits, thankfully Scruton looks at the whole man here. I loved this work and any music lover should count this as a top ten book along with Charles Rosen's and Letters of Mozart.

This is not bedtime reading. I don't know much about music, so unfortunately the technical parts the music were lost to me. But I did understand what he was getting at saying words and story are not adequate to understand the Ring, rather the music raises the unconscious archetypes and myths we carry and make the opera interesting and complete. I went to youtube to listen to the leitmotifs that Wagner used to signal something at various point in the work, like the innocent nature of the Rhine-daughters or the recurring theme of Alberich's renunciation. I am familiar enough with modern German philosophy that I fully enjoyed Scruton's analysis of the threads of Wagner's story. I appreciated that Scruton took the time to explore alternative views. 4 stars is a pretty good rating for me, one of the top handful of books this year.

The first half of the book gives Scruton's synopsis of the plot and description of the music. It came across as reasonable and insightful, although arrogant, because it was presented in a way which brooks no argument. The very long chapter on the music, especially so.I was longing for a touch of humility along the lines of "I offer this interpretation as a hopefully useful contribution to the vast amount of profound scholarship already undertaken on this work." Such a comment does appear, but only at the halfway point of the book, implying that the first half REALLY SHOULD be understood as definitive.From this point on, Scuton is "elbows out". He presents his view as a philosopher, but disparages the views of other commentators such as Shaw and Heise. His view as a philosopher is worth reading, as are Shaw's as a socialist, Donington's as a musicologist and aspirant psychologist and Heise's as a dishwasher/security guard et al. But the arrogance in this volume is most distasteful.I long for a series of interpretations, each from a designated viewpoint: not just professional expertise such as Scruton's, but also from the view point of the singers. What were the viewpoints of Gwynneth Jones as Brunnhilde, Bryn Terfel as Wotan or Stefan Vinke as Siegfried. One rule I would insist on, as publisher, is that they argue their own cases as eloquently as they can, but are not allowed to disparage others.

The Ring Of Truth is a superb work of criticism in the best tradition. But it is also unique, because it encompasses the identification of themes in the cadence of a major work of music alongside what is deeply buried in its conception for the delight of all of us. Scruton is a conductor, leading us to appreciate the great music while unearthing the mythology which is an integral part of The Ring. Great, great work!

Outstanding analysis of Wagner's Ring. I'll refer to it often in the years to come. The author is an excellent writer who fully appreciates the totality of the Ring Cycle and articulates the elements of the piece that keep Wagner-lovers enthralled. I highly recommend it to any Ring fan.

A delightful tour through a number of historical perspectives of the Ring Cycle and the world of ideas in which it was created. I found insights that opened new vistas beyond the operas themselves. Very well conceived, constructed and written. Highly recommended for anyone from novice Wagnarian to a seasoned professional.

VERY STRANGE

Insightful, clear. Slightly gushing, but you'd probably only be reading it if you were also a fan. Contains thought provoking analyses of leitmotifs which inspire further listening (as though you need another reason!)

Roger Scruton was the man best placed to write this book, after his compelling book on Tristan und Isolde. He has the cultural and philosophical background to put Wagner's masterpiece in its intellectual context and also to bring out to the reader just why this stuff actually matters to so many people and why it will repay the time it takes to get to know what must be one of the most massive aesthetic experiences on the planet.

Despite listening to recordings and attending performances of the 'Ring' for decades I’m sorry to say I found much of this book impenetrable. The philosophical arguments bewildered me, whilst the tortuous syntax in which they were expressed exasperated me. I struggled to the end but it was heavy going. I will next try his exploration of 'Parsifal' but on the basis of this am not hopeful.

Brilliant and fascinating book from the objectionable Mr. Scruton.

Very clear explanations of a tricky subject.

Roger Scruton demonstra sua imensa cultura e conhecimento filosófico nessa excelente análise da tetralogia de Wagner.O livro começa com uma introdução sobre os filósofos que influenciaram Wagner, uma análise do roteiro das 4 óperas e um guia dos leitmotifs.Mas o coração do livro é a análise, sob essa ótica da filosofia da época, que Scruton faz do sentido da tetralogia.Eu não vou tentar resumir aqui, porque não tenho esse poder de síntese. Não é uma leitura fácil, mas se você conhece as obras, será extremamente gratificante.Altamente recomendado.